Romancing the Novel Brisbane Opening; Or How I stood in the Sun for 3 Hours
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
"Whoever said romance is dead hasn't been to Brisbane's newest romance-exclusive bookshop".
That's according to ABC. But I think it's fair to say the state of "romance" today is a large reason why Romancing the Novel's Brisbane Opening popped off.
Hundreds. Literally hundreds of ladies, (some lads, even a few kids?), stood standing in the sweltering totally-not-winter-sun for hours—including myself—to get a glimpse at the new local New Farm joint. Over three hours I stood, and I arrived over an hour early!
Meanwhile, owner and romance author Scarlett Hopper was a vision with her new brown hair and goddess dress, darting up and down the street with Queen vibes, and water bottles. The Romancing team's mission in general to keep us all hydrated should be mentioned. It's not uncommon for there to be at least one fainting at these events and, as far as I'm aware, this one passed without a hitch. So good team effort mates.
Some smart individuals apparently camped out front of store before dawn which, hindsight twenty-twenty, I may take a page out of next event. Four hours in the dark chill verse the lunch time melt? I'd take it.
Novelty can put a silver lining on nearly anything though. It's what carried me through hours of sweating in direct burning sun before; it's what did here, even with a dying phone and dead earbuds. The spectacle of the whole event also meant many curious locals stopped by to chat and others watched us watched them from their balconies. We even had the owner of WngSpng, Sarah, doing an impronto survey of how many of us understood the acronym, IICYIFY. None of us did. (At least nothing before the last three letters, lol). (And yes for those interested, they're pricey, but 100% cotton!).
Can Romancing the Novel claim being Brisbane's first romance-exclusive bookstore like their Sydney counterpart?
I don't think so.
And given the size of the little store, I'm also not sure we'll see many—if any—events to build up the local community and to create a similar cult-like following. Which is a shame. The want is real. Only last month, the manager and co-owner of The Rose Read bookshop in Sydney's Summer Hill, Misha Parkee, told ABC how people today crave community and that reading is providing that connection.
In this world of technology and obviously AI being a big thing. . . even if you're reading in solitude, you're still connecting with characters that another human has created." Parkee, July 18, ABC.
Last year Monash University's BehaviourWorks, in collaboration with Creative Australia and non-for-profit Australia Reads, released new national research titled Understanding Australian Readers that collaborated Parkee's comments.
Of those surveyed, one in five said reading made them feel less lonely, with the top emotion associated with reading being comfort.
They also found reading fiction for just five minutes reduced stress by nearly 20%, gave nearly half of those surveyed a better night's sleep, and correlated lower risks of depressive symptoms.
Funnily (though perhaps unsurprising to some)—while evidence from Australian National University, the US's Pew Research Center, and UK's National Literacy Trust suggests the popularity of audiobooks and e-books has boost the accessibility and wider-audience of reading, over seventy-five per cent of Australians expressed preference for physical print books, even at premium costs.
(Seriously, according to Nine in April we're talking up to $75 for special editions). (And, for sure, there's a discussion to be had about some trade publishers 'Swift-ifying' collectable editions. Big ick.).
These new bookstores obviously have their fingers on the pulse and I am excited to see how the surge of local indie bookstores improve the community.
If you missed the opening and desperate to get in the action, be sure to check out The Lanes Book Fair this coming Saturday 22nd August, Fortitude Valley. Hosted by California Lane and Tell Me How It Ends, it's a day filled with stalls and panels.
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